Let me outline a kit design fanatic's descent into insanity - assuming, of course, that insanity is not a prerequisite. First he'll tell you that football fans should have greater input into their teams' kits, via kit design competitions and votes. Then he'll backtrack, saying kit manufacturers have listened and learnt and we should leave them to it. Next he'll qualify that assertion, suggesting some fantasy and amateur kit designers are the peers of the professionals. Finally, as the straight jacket is fastened, he'll scream that amateur kit design leads the way in ingenuity, sartorial restraint and respect for tradition and is now superior to the efforts emanating from Nike, adidas, Puma et al.
The recent evidence gives this opinion some credence. The Middlesbrough Futsal Club competition (mark II) shows that, when it counts - such an occasion can be defined by a trip to Italy being on offer - DesignFootball.com's members pull out all the stops to produce kits with originality and inspiration the like of which is often lacking from major releases. The trite exclamation that a five minute Football Manager mockup posted on a club's fan forum is "better than this season's top!" has long been surpassed by far more genuine reactions to far more elaborately and thoughtfully constructed works of genius. Five years ago no one really would have followed through on their risk-free empty promise that they'd "buy it if they released it!" but now it's accompanied with a yearning for it to come to pass - and is more likely than ever to do just that.
Crucially, amateur kit design no longer relies on the iconography of a major club and the heavy branding of a major manufacturer. In the early days of DF, the brilliance of the uploads at that time led us to believe we were ready to host a competition for a reasonably famous non-league club. The competition provided said club with several options which would have bettered their recent kits but the lack of any head start from a heavyweight, trophy-laden history, an instantly recognisable set of club colours or, simply, three stripes or a Swoosh meant the quality dropped drastically and the club eventually went down a different route. The current, and shortly ending Boro comp now shows that a relatively modest back story and a less well-known manufacturer needn't hold anyone back, and doesn't limit the standard of submissions. How far we have come.
Even back in the big leagues, if the rumoured new Liverpool (Away and Third) kits prove to be the genuine article then then they are laughably inferior to offerings put forward in our galleries. Similarly, the underwhelming adidas releases for the "second string" likes of Sunderland, Stoke and West Brom are bettered by the inventive take on stripes that DF members come up with. Even Nike, despite some wonderful releases - for France in particular - could be construed as running out of ideas, especially as they're now regurgitating templates and themes for the Netherlands, Portugal and Manchester United. It's an accusation, albeit misguided, that can't be leveled at this site's members.
But now the acid test is upon us. The worlds of professional kit design and that of its amateur cousin are about to collide when Stewart Scott-Curran, once of Umbro and Nike (and with a track record which seems to deviate around their collective low points), starts his Skillshare course, offering advice and guidance to aspiring kit designers, many of which may already be coming up with kits which seem, on the surface, better than many of those being produced by the industry. Will it be a case of teaching grandma to suck eggs or, more likely, a final honing of the craft to give the amateurs the confidence to place their works alongside that of the professionals? Either way, it's an incredible opportunity, and, with 50% off, one worth taking maximum advantage of.
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